Here We Go Again, No Manhattan Bound Roosevelt Island F Train Service This Weekend

According to the MTA:

F Coney Island-bound trains run via the E from Roosevelt Av to 5 Av/53 St

Weekend, 10:15 PM Fri to 5 AM Mon, Nov 27 - 30

Trains resume regular service at 47-50 Sts.

No Coney Island-bound service at 21 St-Queensbridge, Roosevelt Island, Lexington Av/63 St and 57 St.

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) adds:

The MTA has issued a weekend service advisory for the F train, which may affect travel plans. The Tram will run on a rush hour schedule from 7:00 AM until 10:00 PM to accommodate any increase in traffic. Please plan your travel accordingly and visit mta.info/weekender or call 511 for more information.

For electronic updates on F Train service, sign up for MTA Alerts at mymtaalerts.com.

Roosevelt Island's Catholic and Episcopal Parishes Worship Together For Thanksgiving Prayer Service At Good Shepherd Community Center

Roosevelt Island resident Frank Farance shares photos from Thanksgiving Day prayer service at Good Shepherd Community Center

Image From Frank Farance

and reports:

Image From Frank Farance

Catholic and Episcopalian parishes of Roosevelt Island come together for Thanksgiving prayer service. Wonderful inspiration from Fr. Gerardo Ramirez and Deacon Tom Harenchar. Much to be thankful for!

More information on the Roosevelt Island St Francis Xavier Cabrini Catholic Church and Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd available at their web sites.

Happy Thanksgiving From Roosevelt Island - Tradition, Family, Food, Football, Parade, History And Alice's Restaurant

Image of Rockefeller Center Turkey from The Onion

Happy Thanksgiving Day wishes to everyone out there in Roosevelt Island land and elsewhere. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

 Image From libnot

Since Thanksgiving is a day all about about Tradition, here is my traditional Thanksgiving Day post.

In addition to family, great food, the Macy's Parade, Miracle on 34th Street, March of the Wooden Soldiers and football, listening to Arlo Guthrie's rendition of Alice's Restaurant on WNEW-FM was, for me, a wonderful Thanksgiving tradition.

A former station DJ remembers Thanksgiving and Arlo Guthrie this way on the blog All Mixed Up Radio.

Every year a couple of days before Thanksgiving, it starts. It's slow at first, and then turns into a non-stop avalanche of phone calls. And no matter how many times a station runs promo announcements telling people exactly when it will be played, the calls still come.

"What time are you playing 'Alice's Restaurant?'"...

Yes, in the olden days people used to listen to music on the radio. Imagine that!

Here's a snippet of Alice's Restaurant with Arlo Guthrie and Johnny Cash



and the full song with scenes from the movie.



More nostalgia. Take a look at some of these Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Floats from 1927 thru 1968 via Buzzfeed.

 Image of 1927 Felix the Cat Macy's Thanksgiving Float From Buzzfeed

Image of 1935 The Marx Brothers Macy'sThanksgiving Float from Buzzfeed

 Image of 1940 The Tin Man Macy's Thanksgiving Float From Buzzfeed

HAPPY THANKSGIVING everybody!

Roosevelt Island Historical Society President Judy Berdy shares a Thanksgiving  story from Roosevelt Island's past when it was known as Welfare Island and housed a penitentiary. Also, former blogger Roosevelt Island 360 tells us about the first Roosevelt Island Thanksgiving in 1975.

Bring Your Food Scraps To New Roosevelt Island Organic Recycling Compost Program At Farmers Market Every Saturday Starting November 28

After finishing off your Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow and leftovers on Friday, take any food scraps left over to the new Roosevelt Island Organic Recycling center at the Farmers Market on Saturday.

Roosevelt Island Garden Club Secretary Julia Ferguson reports:

Exciting environmental breakthrough - our island has been chosen as a food scraps drop site! Every Saturday residents can drop their food scraps, preventing large quantities of waste from going to landfill!

This Saturday, November 28th, Roosevelt Island will welcome NYC Compost hosted by BIG Reuse at the Farmer's Market. Save your holiday fruit and vegetable scraps. Bring them to the Farmer's Market to join this city wide compost opportunity.

For more information please check here on the RIGC blog.

More information on the Roosevelt Island Composting Program from this previous post.

Con Ed Re-Starting Roosevelt Island High Pressure Gas Line Infrastructure Work Friday November 27 - Beginning Near Firehouse And Working South On Main Street

Image From Con Ed

As reported last August 27, Con Ed temporarily suspended work on installation of the new Roosevelt Island high pressure gas line:

... Con Edison has temporarily suspended the work that crews had started earlier this month on Main Street, Roosevelt Island. After the initial excavation revealed some unanticipated conditions, Con Edison will revise its work plan and schedule....

and:

...Work will be suspended thereafter until the revised work plan and new schedule are developed....

Apparently, Con Ed has developed a new schedule starting the day after Thanksgiving. According to Con Ed:

Work Notice Update

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Con Edison will begin preliminary work on the gas infrastructure on Main Street starting as early as Friday, November 27, 2015. Crews will be working from 8am to 4pm, weekdays, through late January 2016. The work will start at the north end of Main St., near the FDNY facility, and will continue south, in sections, along Main St. We will continue to provide updates as this work progresses.

This schedule is subject to change. There will be no service disruptions to customers associated with this work. We apologize for any inconvenience. For more information, contact Manhattan Public Affairs at ManhattanPA@conEd.com.

Map of Work Area:

More on the Con Ed Roosevelt Island high pressure gas line installation from previous posts.

Frightening View Of Roosevelt Island From Amazon TV's Man In The High Castle Alternative History Of World War 2

Amazon's new TV show Man in the High Castle imagines what would have happened had the Nazi's and Japan defeated the United States and our allies in World War 2. Untapped Cities shows some film locations of the Man In The High Castle alternative history of the United States including Roosevelt Island. According to Untapped Cities:

The SS Headquarters is located on Manhattan’s East Side along the East River, south of the Queensboro Bridge. In the shot, you can still see Goldwater Hospital on Roosevelt Island, now demolished and to be replaced by the Cornell tech campus. In this aerial shot, the SS Headquarters building blocks the southern tip of Roosevelt Island, where the abandoned smallpox hospital stands.

Amazon show #ManintheHighCastle transforms #NYC and #SF into Axis territory https://t.co/MAhbnidXnB pic.twitter.com/lWI6z5MmP6

— Untapped Cities (@untappedcities) November 24, 2015

Here's the trailer from



Amazon's Man in the High Castle.

It's Getting Get Cold - Time For Roosevelt Island Geese To Start Heading South

From the Roosevelt Island Twitterverse

About time to go south, boys and girls. @ Roosevelt Island https://t.co/GU87SGGyL0

— JoelCanfield (@JoelCanfield) November 24, 2015

About time to go south, boys and girls.

A photo posted by Joel Canfield (@joelcanfield777) on Nov 24, 2015 at 10:32am PST

Help Roosevelt Island New York Public Library Branch Win $20 Thousand - Nominate Our Local Library For NYC Neighborhood Library Awards And Say Why Roosevelt Island Branch Should Win $20 Thousand

You can help our local Roosevelt Island New York Public Library branch win $20 Thousand.

Posted by Roosevelt Islander Online on Friday, November 20, 2015

Here's how. According to the NYC Neighborhood Library Awards:

In November 2015, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and Charles H. Revson Foundation, in association with WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show, are launching the third annual NYC Neighborhood Library Awards.

The NYC Neighborhood Library Awards recognize and reward public libraries for being the unsung heroes of New York – places where all are welcome, the programs and resources are free, and the librarians are making it all happen on a shoestring budget.

Since the City's neighborhoods are very diverse and each library is unique, we are asking you: Tell us why your library should win a NYC Neighborhood Library Award! New Yorkers can nominate their library for exceptional service to the community, online or in paper at local branches. Nomination forms are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Korean, and Haitian Creole and will be accepted through December 18, 2015.

Based on patrons’ nominations, data on circulation and program attendance, visits to see the branches in action, and the recommendations of a philanthropic review committee, the pool will be narrowed down to ten finalists. From there, a group of eminent judges will pick five winning branches for the $20,000 prize. The remaining finalists will receive $10,000 each.

Last year, more than 13,000 New Yorkers wrote in, and the five winners have already put their winnings to good use. The Langston Hughes Community Library in Queens has added to the collections and lectures available at their Black Heritage Reference Center. New Lots Library in Brooklyn purchased new technology and launched an entrepreneurial series for teens. Stapleton Library in Staten Island is planning arts programs for adults and tech classes for students. In the Bronx, the Parkchester Library is adding furniture and materials to their "Spot for Tots," and the Mott Haven Library is remodeling their Children's Reading Room with an interactive wall display.

More information on the NYC Neighborhood Library Awards available at their web site and from the Brian Lehrer WNYC radio program.



So, please tell the NYC Neighborhood Library Awards why the Roosevelt Island NYPL branch should receive $20 thousand.

Why The Green Light Shining Above Roosevelt Island Arcade Walkway At Roosevelt Landings Asks Resident - Do You Know Why? Could Be For Greenlight A Vet

A reader asked:

do you have any idea what the green cellophane is about over the bulbs over the walkway at Roosevelt Landings?  I noticed their office also had green bulbs in their desk lamps.

Image Of Roosevelt Landings Arcade Green Light Friday November 20

According to this tweet, it may be in support of our military veterans for Veteran's Day.

Our home in NYC did a #GreenLightaVet walkway as a salute this evening!!!! Outstanding #RIOC @Rooseveltisland pic.twitter.com/DjzZmiBKKm

— Trevis Dane Wimer (@TDaneNYC) November 11, 2015

Here's more on Greenlight A Vet:

Change one light to green in a visible location-on your porch, in your home, or at your office-and keep it glowing every day as a symbol of appreciation and support for our veterans. Then, share your support by taking a picture of your green light and posting it using the hashtag #greenlightavet.

We love seeing your #GreenlightAVet pictures, even after #VeteransDay! Keep 'em coming! https://t.co/CBEl9z9YGL

— Greenlight A Vet (@greenlightavet) November 23, 2015

UPDATE 3:50 PM - Urban American's Josh Eisenberg reports on the Roosevelt Landings Arcade Green Light:

We put up the green lights at Roosevelt Landings and at other buildings throughout the Urban American portfolio in honor of Veterans Day in conjunction with the “Greenlight a Vet” project. My brother and I are members of Team Rubicon, one of the veterans groups that supported the public awareness initiative.

Over our operating history, Urban American has always been committed to the greater community we serve and to resolving some of the challenges faced in neighborhoods where our residents live. The most personal of which are those faced by the City's returning veterans and service members. My father, my brother and I are all former Army officers and, as principals of Urban American, we are committed to continuing the very long and distinguished history of support that NYC has shown for its veterans. Several years ago, we initiated our Veterans Housing Initiative, which is designed to reduce or completely eliminate thousands of dollars out-of-pocket housing expenses that returning veterans face while they await their GI Bill, medical or other veterans benefits. We also established Reticle, a project through which we prominently showcase the photography, paintings and other art created by NYC veterans in our buildings. Art and photography are a critical mode through which many veterans grapple with the difficulties of their transition out of uniform or their experiences overseas and it can be very hard for struggling artists to find a place to display their art and tell their story.

By “greenlighting" our buildings on Veterans Day and for several days afterward, we wanted to show our appreciation for veterans residing in communities across New York City and to raise awareness among their neighbors to honor the service and sacrifice these veterans have made for all us.

More on the Urban American Roosevelt Landings Reticle art program for veterans at this previous post.

Save The Date, Roosevelt Island Tree Lighting Ceremony December 4 - Community Celebration With Singing, Hot Drinks & Santa Claus

Image From 2014 Roosevelt Island Tree Lighting Ceremony

According to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC):

Save the date!

On Friday, December 4th from 7 – 9 PM, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation is proud to present the annual Roosevelt Island Tree Lighting Ceremony. Join us at Blackwell House (500 Main St.) for a free community celebration featuring performances from your talented neighbors! And don’t miss a visit from a very special guest! We hope to see you there!

Image Of 2014 Roosevelt Island Santa Claus Welcoming Residents To Tree Lighting Festivities

Here's the 2014 Roosevelt Island Tree Lighting Countdown.



Last two years have seen pouring rain for the Roosevelt Island Tree Lighting Ceremony. Hopefully, we'll have better weather this year, maybe some light snow!!!

WOW - Gorgeous New York City Sunset Colors Tonight Seen From Roosevelt Island

From the Roosevelt Island Twitterverse.

Sunset #nyc from Roosevelt Island. Most beautiful one ever pic.twitter.com/BuEjnldSkv

— Filipe Tenorio Lira (@filipetln) November 22, 2015

Cotton candy #NYC #skys tonight. #NEwYork #NewYorkCity #IslandLife #RooseveltIsland #sunset #sky #skyporn

A photo posted by jburson360 (@jburson360) on Nov 22, 2015 at 2:24pm PST